Backcountry Skiing – Recommended Hardware and Accessories

Generalities.

  • There are many ways to compromise when you first start ski touring. Employcheap tricks to get geared up initially – get synthetic pants (dress pants or athletic warmups, synthetic shirts, nylon windshells, nylon wind pants, raincoats, wool socks, ski caps, ski coats, gloves, long underwear (synthetic or wool) for next to nothing at the Goodwill or Salvation Army. Use old downhills skis and poles or inexpensive skis and polesfrom a ski swap. Use two-quart juice bottles as your water bottle, duct tape rolled up on itself as your repair kit, nylon dress socks you’ve already got as liner socks, generic brand sunglasses and suncream as sun protection…
  • There are a few specialty items you’ll need for ski touring that you may not be able to get inexpensively right from the start. First and foremost are the right boots and bindings for the type of backcountry skiing you want to do – these you can mount and use with old skis. Also there some rescue items that should
  • Once you decide to buy beyond a stop gap measure, buy what you’re your research says would be best for your needs. Within reason, even if it’s more expensive,indulge yourself. After buying forget about what’s newest,or marginally better, or fractionally lighter. Spend your time skiing and getting out rather than working to buy the latest greatest.
  • Weightis an important part of the equation when it comes to shelling out big bucks for something you really want. A rule of thumb to consider whenever you’re considering new gear : Double your weight and you quarter your skiing pleasure. This is doubly true if you’re part of the over-40 crowd (go ahead and figure out that math!). Also consider the military’s research using treadmills and measuring work expended that documents that an extra pound attached to the bottom of the long lever of the leg (i.e., the foot) is equal to adding five pounds of weight to the back (i.e., the pack). This isn’t completely true with skis and ski boots, which are dragged rather than lifted, but there are few long-time ski tourers who don’t agree that, on the uphills, an extra pound on the foot equals an extra two to three pounds on the back. Still minimal weight isn’t always the be all and end all of efficient gear. As a rule lightweight skis will deflect more in heavy or variable snow, will not edge as effectively on ice, and will not handle the forces and vibrations of skiing at high speeds. Boots that are too light may not have the stiffness and power to drive the ski you want to use. Generally you want to match your skis and boots to the type of skiing you do and then find that rather amorphous balance point where the gear is as light as possible yet suitable for type of skiing you do. You pay for skiing the gnarliest terrain or ripping things up at high speeds by needing the heaviest gear.
  • There’s a compromise in finding skis and boots that keep the load as light as possible on the uphill yet able to edge on ice or drive skis through gloppy / variable snows on the downhill

Defining BC Skiing for you. The continuum from super steep terrain to relatively mellow ground. Where are you on that continuum and what kind of gear is suited to that spot? (Gear we’ve listed are just a few of the many options).

  • Slackcountry –mainly use lift assist to get out of bounds. Weight not much of an issue. Downhill performance is what you care about. Use whatever ski you’re most interested in with a Marker Duke binding or Fritschi Freeride binding. Boots: Garmont Shaman, Axon, or Endorphin; Dynafit Titan.
  • 70-30 (resort/backcountry) or true Alpine Touring Steep and Gnarly where it’s mainly about the downhill. One set of skis that might be used mostly at the downhill resort but might also be used touring. Binding: Fritschi Freeride or Marker Barons.Boots: Garmont Endorphine or Dynafit Titans or Zzero4 Green Machines.
  • Alpine Touring Steep and Gnarly (true backcountry ski touring but it’s mainly about the downhill for you. Bindings: Fritschi Freeride or Dynafit. Boots: GarmontDelerium or Radiums or Dynafit Zzero4 Green Machines.
  • Alpine Touring – All terrain performance. Backcountry skiing for you is as much about the uphill, making distance, and covering ground as it is about the downhills. It’s not just about the steep and gnarly. Binding: Dynafit. Boots: Garmont Radium,Dynafit TLT 5 Performance, Dynafit TLT 5 Mountain. Skis Dynafit Manaslu (Stevens Pass) K2 Shuksanor Dynafit Seven Summits (Mission/Blewett Pass).
  • Alpine Touring (Light). Willing to compromise turning power for the ability to cover distance easily. Equipment has reasonable turning perfprmance but the bias is being light, fast, and nimble for the touring and climbing. Skis: Volkl Norbert Joos, Dynafit Broad Peak, Hagan Ultra X or Hagan Dragon. Bindings: Dynafit. Boots: Dynafit TLT 5 Performance or TLT 5 Mountain, Scarpa F1.
  • Telemark (Steep): Like Alpine Touring Steep or just Alpine Touring but on telemark gear. Boots. Garmont Prophet of Voodoo boot. Scarpa Terminator series.
  • Telemark (Light)Like Alpine Touring Light but on telemark gear. Garmont Excursion boot, Scarpa T4 or Wasatch boots.
  • General Touring. Touring snowed-over road systems and moderate hills on lighter, skinnier skis. Skis are metal edged but may be 1.5 or double cambered. Skis: Fischer S Bound or Outbound series.Bindings: 3 pins from Rottefella or Voile. Boots:Scarpa Tour, or Alpina Mountain.

Telemark vs Alpine Touring(aka AT or Randonnee). On steep ground AT gear outperforms telemark gear. The free hinging toe of AT bindings also has much better uphill performance than most telemark bindings. AT gear now tends to be lighter than comparable telemark gear designed for skiing the same type of terrain. AT gear skis more powerfully and safely in downhill mode (fixed heels fix a lot of skiing problems and the DIN-rated releasability of AT bindings is a big deal for avoiding injury to yourself and for jettisoning skis in the event of avalanche. Some telemark binding are DIN-rated releasability, most don’t

Ski characteristics/design of importance for your type of skiing. Manufacturers: Dynafit, K2, G3, Hagan, Volkl, Voile.

Boot types and characteristics. Manufacturers: Dynafit, Garmont, Scarpa, Crispi

Bindings.Manufacturers: Dynafit, Fritschi, Silvretta, Voile, Black Diamond, Rottefella

Poles.Manufacturers of good adjustable poles: Black Diamond, K2, Exped, Leki. Get some sort of flip lock or the Exped twist closure.

Skins.Manufacturers: Black Diamond, G3, Dynafit, Montana, K2,

Rescue Gear (beacon, probe, shovel, Avalung, airbag packs). Manufacturers: Black Diamond, Backcountry Access, Ortovox, K2, ABS).

Ski mountaineering extras (crampons, microspikes, ice axe, ski crampons). Manufacturers: (Camp, Grivel, Black Diamond, Kahtoola, Stubai)

What to wear (next-to-skin layer, insulation layers, outer layers).

What’s in the pack?(show and tell).

Recommended Companies:

Outdoor Research,Patagonia, Mountain Hardware, and GoLite(ski pants, storm and wind shells, midweight tops, parkas,gloves, synthetic long underwear, hats,down coats, and more). Bridgedale and Darn Tough Socks of Vermont(wool-nylon socks). Garmont (telemark and AT boots). Dynafit (Tourlite Tech binding, AT boots, lightweight skis, ski crampons). Karhu (XCD series of skis for telemark skiers, no wax skis). Fischer (skinnier S-bound series for telemark and no-wax skis). K2 (telemark and AT skis, adjustable ski poles, heat treated avalanche shovels). Black Diamond Equipment Ltd(headlamps, gloves, skins,Avalung, probes, aluminum shovels, ice axes, packs, adjustable poles, telemark bindings, helmets, and more). Stubai (universal aluminum crampons). Katoohla (micospikes).Camp (ultralight aluminum axe and crampons). Ortovox (beacons, probes, aluminum shovels). Backcountry Access (aluminum shovels, beacons, airbag packs). Scarpa (AT and telemark boots). Petzl (headlamps, climbing accessories, helmets). Fritschi (AT binding and ski crampons). Garmin (GPS units). National Geographic Topo! (CD map sets). McNett Corp(Aquamira, AquaSeal, Seam Grip).Voile (light but wide skis, heat treated aluminum shovels, telemark bindings, split boards, straps). Silva (orienteering compasses).Exped ( adjustable poles, packs). Leatherman Tools (multitools). G3(skis, shovels, skins). Hagan, Volkl (backcountry skis). Rottefella (telemark, NNN or NTN bindings), Kahtoola (MicroSpikes), ABS (Avalanche airbag packs).

Purchasing Gear:

Websites of all of the above. Arlberg Sports. LeavenworthMountain Sports. Der Sportsman. Hooked on Toys. REI. Pro Ski Service (AT skiing specialists. Stores in North Bend and Seattle).ProMountain Sports (lightweight gear specialists, on University Way inSeattle). Sierra Trading Post and Campmor (discounted clothing and packs).

Backcountry Skiing Equipment: Articles

Backcountry Skiing – Gearing Up:

Backcountry Ski Gear Primer for NW skiing:

Dynafit Stoke – Ski Review:

Light and Wide – New Touring Skis:

Avalanche Shovels:

Shovels – Good, Bad, and Ugly:

Avalanche Probes: The Forgotten Stepchild:

Why Telemark:

Why Telemark 2:

Backcountry Repair Kit:

To Build a Fire:

Skins for Backcountry Skiing:

Best Snowshoes:

Lightning Snowshoe:

Avalanche Rescues – Essential Gear:

Recommended Poles:

Backcountry Pharmacy: